Balboa Pavilion to get new dining deck

The Balboa Pavilion's Harborside Restaurant will be getting a new 890-square-foot outdoor dining deck addition next spring. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

An idea a decade in the making is coming to fruition for Harborside Restaurant owner David Salisbury, who saw the California Coastal Commission sign off on his plan to add an outdoor dining deck along the waterfront of the famous Balboa Pavilion building.

The 890-square-foot extension will add an outdoor dining area along the backside of the restaurant, with views extending out to Newport Harbor.

"We're looking at spring to get this up and running," Salisbury said, noting the design still needs to be finalized and details worked out between him and the Balboa Pavilion.

To make room for the new dining area, the current skiff rental company using area beneath Balboa Pavilion's second-story deck will have to be relocated bayward, and one of its docks will be relocated as well, according to the Coastal Commission's July 11 report.

Doug Turin, owner of Newport Harbor Boat Rentals, which rents out 14-foot fishing boats and electric boats from the Balboa Pavilion docks, declined to comment on the relocation, as he was not fully informed of the process at this time.

"This addition is in the shadow of the existing building," said preservation architect John Loomis of Thirtieth Street Architects. "The deck addition will be very minimalistic, and will not change the nature of the historic building."

Commissioners unanimously approved the plan, with conditions, which included the creation of a parking management plan for employees, and surveys on eelgrass – a type of seagrass – before and after construction to determine what impact – if any – the new deck has caused on the eelgrass.

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